


Movie Night

by thethirdphiladelphiavireo



Category: Mean Girls (2004), Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Pining, Rejanis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 01:58:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15741810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thethirdphiladelphiavireo/pseuds/thethirdphiladelphiavireo
Summary: In which, through the course of their senior year, Regina and Janis grow close, fall apart, and collide together once more.





	Movie Night

Regina George realized she was in love with Janis Sarkisian halfway through their senior year of high school.

 

Now, if you asked anyone else, they would all tell you it had been obvious for months beforehand. That somewhere between the tense ceasefire after the Spring Fling and a hot summer spent by Regina’s poolside, laughing with (or at) their friends, a spark had been lit in the cold blonde’s heart, melting the walls she’d carefully constructed so long ago. Those walls she’d thought she needed when she was twelve, staining her pillow nightly with tears as she became disgusted with the way her heart thudded every time Janis slid her a silly note in class, or the way her stomach did gymnastics everytime her friend casually slung an arm around her shoulders. Those walls she told herself were to keep Janis, “that loser space dyke” out, but in her heart knew were to keep herself caged in. She was a freak. She was a monster. 

 

Regina had been hesitant to reconnect with Janis. Since being hit by the bus, the occasional twinges of guilt she had once been able to swallow down had become her entire state of being. There was not a second of her day when she wasn’t thinking about the people she had hurt in her life. She had hurt her mother, she had hurt Karen, she had hurt Gretchen… 

 

And of course, perhaps more than anyone, she had hurt Janis.

 

But after Cady had finally brought peace to North Shore high school, she made it her personal mission to turn the uncomfortable coexistence of her two opposing friends back into what it had been long ago. She combined their two lunch tables into one, planned group outings with Damien, Janis, and the Plastics, and started a weekly movie night at her house. All the while she carefully observed Janis and Regina circling each other, like two wild dogs who aren’t quite sure what to make of the other and might attack at any moment. 

 

She finally considered the operation a success when she noticed an exhausted Janis accept a sip of Regina’s Starbucks after an all-nighter of cramming for finals.

 

Soon after, school was let out for the summer. While most kids would spend their break working on college applications or straight up sleeping through the day, Cady was Kenya-bound with her parents for an entire two months. 

 

“Guess you’ll have to find somewhere else to hold movie night,” she’d joked when she announced the vacation during lunch to her friends. Damien had groaned dramatically about Cady abandoning him to watch their children all by himself, while Gretchen had enthusiastically persuaded the girl to promise to take as many pictures as she could while she was away. Karen had said she was jealous because she’d always wanted to see the Grand Canyon and wished she could go with Cady. Meanwhile, Janis had watched with a smirk on her lips, poking at the watery peas on her styrofoam lunch tray.

 

“I could host movie night,” Regina had spoken up, tossing her hair. “I mean, if you guys wanted.”

 

Thus had begun Movie Night 2.0- Summer Edition. Without Cady there to moderate them, Janis and Regina were again at an awkward impasse, each stepping up as de facto leaders of the group. Two alpha personalities who had been won over by the friendship of the sweet homeschooler now began to again butt heads.

 

It was subtle, really. A passive-aggressive jab about Janis’ movie choice. Purposefully stealing Regina’s favorite blanket off of the couch as the blonde stood to refill the popcorn. A covert battle for loyalty within the friend group itself: Janis began getting coffee with Gretchen and Karen on the weekends, while Regina retaliated by talking fashion with Damien and stealing him away on shopping trips. 

 

It wasn’t until a month after Cady had left that the two realized how stupid they were being. One movie night, whether by coincidence or by design, none of their three other friends could make it. Janis came to Regina’s house nonetheless, pillow under one arm and a bag of potato chips under the other, determined to have a good time. Throughout the first two movies the girls watched each other out of the corner of their eyes, sitting a carefully calculated distance apart. But somewhere in the middle of the third, Regina, who was burrowed underneath her blanket in the corner of the couch, noticed the other girl shivering slightly. The motion was heavily supressed and clearly involuntary- Janis was obviously uncomfortable, but didn’t want to call attention to herself.

 

Regina cleared her throat. When her friend looked over, she raised the edge of her of blanket, eyebrow quirked in question. Janis stared for a second as if she didn’t understand what Regina was doing. Regina cleared her throat once more, motioning with her hand. _ Come over here _ .

 

Janis cautiously slid over, taking an awkwardly long amount of time to do so. She took the proffered fabric edge, and the two spent a couple of minutes doing their best to get situated while also making as little eye contact as possible. They ended up ramrod straight, each gripping their side of the blanket to keep themselves covered as they mutually refused to touch the other. 

 

After a few minutes of watching the movie like this, Regina rolled her eyes. “Oh my God,” she huffed, lightly pulling on Janis’s shoulder. The dark haired girl stiffened, but allowed Regina to guide her into a new position slumped against the blonde’s shoulder, blanket draping over the two easier now that they were fit together like jigsaw pieces. 

 

Finally, Regina was comfortable, and she found her head nodding towards her chest as she basked in the warmth of Janis’s skin against her own, wrapped in a cozy little cocoon. The late night had caught up with her, it would seem. 

 

“You can pick the next one,” she murmured softly, vaguely realizing that the credits were playing. She received no response. She gently turned her head and saw Janis’s head tipped back against the couch’s back, eyes closed and mouth open. 

 

Regina yawned and carefully reached for the remote. She switched off the tv and sat back, propping her feet on the coffee table in front of her. Exhausted, she let her eyelids flutter shut, breathing deep and even, and listening to Janis do the same next to her. In… out. In…out. In…

 

She was passed out before she hear the next. 

 

After that night, Janis still got coffee with Gretchen and Karen, and Regina still talked fashion with Damien. But now came Movie Night 3.0- Just the Two of Them. While Regina still continued to hold group movie nights at her house, more and more frequently the others found themselves busy, leaving the two girls by themselves. And whenever they were alone, the two girls silently returned to the position they’d assumed that first night, with Janis tucked into Regina’s side, blanket covering both, indulging in each other’s warmth. And every morning they found themselves curled up there, lazily blinking in the early light. 

 

Cady returned from Kenya, and with her came senior year. Whereas time had seemed to flow through sticky molasses during the summer, suddenly the teenagers were thrown into a storm of college applications and existential crises, a storm of coffee by the gallon and bathroom breakdowns. But, throughout it all, Janis and Regina without fail spent every Friday night together, scrolling through Netflix and trying to throw popcorn into each other’s mouths. In a time of change and tumult, it became their constant. Even if one day movie night would be no more, for now they could pretend they had all the time in world. 

 

Although Janis and and Regina didn’t exactly talk about their developing friendship, the physical affection they shared behind the closed doors of Regina’s home began to slowly bleed into their everyday life. Between classes, Regina would rest a hand on Janis’s shoulder as they chatted at one of their lockers. When Janis felt overwhelmed, sometimes she’d bury her face into the back of the blonde girl’s neck instead of immediately reaching for Damien. 

 

Cady was pleased with the progress. She pulled Regina aside and in soft words thanked her for reaching out to Janis, eyes bright and genuine. Regina verbally brushed the praise off as nothing, but internally her chest swelled with pride as she looked at how great of strides she’d made at repairing their broken friendship. 

 

And with their newfound physical intimacy came emotional intimacy as well. 

 

Halloween night that year fell on a Friday. So instead of attending one of any number of the parties that she’d been invited to, Regina stayed home and watched horror movies with Janis practically in her lap, teasing the girl as she jolted at every scare. 

 

“We can watch something else if you want,” the blue-eyed girl’s voice lilted as she shut the door on some costumed trick-or-treaters. 

 

Janis glared up at Regina. “Just get back over here please.”

 

Shrugging, Regina sat back down on the couch, smirking as Janis’s arms immediately shot out and ensnared her, dragging the blonde closer. 

 

The next hour went about the same way, with Janis constantly sucking in sharp breaths through her teeth and Regina stifling giggles with her hand.

 

Once the credits rolled, Janis immediately snatched up the remote from where it was lying on her friend’s lap. “No more horror movies tonight!” she exclaimed, standing up. “I’d like to actually sleep tonight.”

 

Regina rolled her eyes. “Jan, it’s Halloween. That’s the whole spirit of the holiday.”

 

“Well I’m done with it.”

 

Regina pouted. “Just one more? I’ll be here to protect you from all the ghosts anyways, you don’t have to worry.”

 

Janis pursed her lips as Regina continued to look at her with her best puppy eyes. Groaning, she flopped back onto the couch. “Fine. But at least give me a bit of a break for my heart rate to calm down.”

 

Regina smiled. Success. She stretched languidly, swinging her feet off the floor and into Janis’s lap, who rolled her eyes and smacked her leg lightly.

“So, how’s your college shit going?” Janis asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend. 

 

Regina shrugged. “Well, you know, with grades and family like mine, you can get pretty much anywhere,” she said, cracking her back. Even back before she’d been hit by the bus, for all her partying, she’d been careful to maintain pristine academics. 

 

Janis sighed deeply. “If only it were that easy for the rest of us mortals,” she groaned. She turned a thoughtful eye back towards Regina. “You know, I don’t think you’ve ever told me what you want to do after high school.”

 

Regina tensed almost imperceptibly. “My dad wants me to go into business,” was all she said, picking at her fingernails as she remembered the multitude of phone calls she’d had with her estranged father over the years about this exact topic.

 

Janis cocked her head, frowning. She studied her friend’s expression closely. “But… that’s not what you want to do?”

 

Regina swallowed. “I, uh, maybe? I don’t really… I don’t really know what I want, to be honest.”

 

Gentle fingers rubbed circles into Regina’s legs. Regina looked over at Janis, a lump building in her throat. Being unsure wasn’t the Regina George way, and it wasn’t a feeling she had ever in her life been comfortable with. She hesitantly looked into Janis’s gentle eyes. The other girl smiled, soft and reassuring, seeming to understand everything from a single, shared gaze. She leaned forward to pull Regina into a tight hug. Regina embraced Janis in turn, burying her face into her friend’s neck, breathing in the familiar scent of her fresh shampoo. 

 

“Well, you don’t need to have it all figured out yet. Or maybe ever,” Janis reassured, combing a hand through Regina’s hair. Regina nodded, silent. She didn’t trust herself to speak in that moment. 

 

Janis pulled back slightly, still holding her arms loosely around her friend’s shoulders. “Do you want to put the next movie in now? Ready to protect me?”

 

Regina laughed and moved her grip to the other girl’s waist, dragging her closer to cuddle. “Let’s do it. Time to embrace the Halloween experience.”

 

From that night on, the girls continued to gravitate closer and closer to one another, spending more and more time together. More often than not, Regina gave Janis lifts to school in exchange for coffee. They sat next to each other at lunch and in their shared classes. After school, Regina would hang out and do homework at the counter of the ice cream shop where Janis had gotten a job, chatting when business was slow and boredom was peaking. And of course, movie night remained sacred.

 

One day, Janis was out with the flu. Regina was sitting at a lunch table before class, half-heartedly reading a book, when Damien walked up and gently pulled it from the bewildered Regina’s hands. He dog-eared her page and shut it, setting it down on the table between them.

 

Regina blinked. “Can I help you?”

 

Damien looked uncharacteristically grave, none of his usual bouncy energy. “We need to talk. About Janis.”

 

“... What do you mean?”

 

“I just wanted to warn you that Janis is more fragile than she seems. And even if she doesn’t realize it now, your friendship could end up hurting her later.”

 

Regina’s mouth fell open. “Is this about what happened in eighth grade? Damien, you know I’d never do something like that ever again, right?”

 

Damien sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Listen, we’re friends and I know you’ve changed since what you did to her before. It’s not about that. It’s just that, with how close you’ve been getting, I think you could end up hurting her in a different way, you know? Or you could end up getting hurt yourself.”

 

“I’m not following.”

 

Damien chewed on his lip, searching Regina’s face. “Just try to keep it in mind, okay? And don’t tell her I talked to you about this, please.”

 

Wordlessly, she nodded and Damien sauntered off. The next day, Janis was back in action, and Regina kept her promise to keep mum.

 

The school year continued to rocket forward at a breakneck pace, the students tethered and dragged along with it. The holidays were fast approaching, and Gretchen proudly brandished a shiny set of handmade invitations at the lunch table one day. The party would be the Sunday before Christmas. Most of the seniors would be coming, she said, but she wanted their friend group to show up a few hours earlier to hang out and celebrate. Everyone readily agreed to the plan, happy to spend time with each other.

 

Regina especially was excited for the party. She felt a bit like she was the Grinch: this was her first Christmas since her redemption from being a total bitch, and her heart had grown three sizes since then. Friday night, after they were finishing up watching their last movie of the night, Regina rubbed a yawning Janis’s shoulder. 

 

“Hey,” she murmured. “I’m gonna make some cookies tomorrow for the party Sunday. Do you wanna stay over and help?”

 

Janis stretched. “Huh? Cookies? Sure, sure…” She reclined against Regina’s side, eyes falling shut. Almost immediately she was out cold. Her friend, who by now had plenty of experience with how hard it was to wake Janis up, wrangled the girl into a more comfortable position, until the two were basically spooning on the couch. Tightening her grip around the others’ waist, Regina quickly drifted off, Janis warm and pliant in her arms.

 

The next day the two were up bright and early. Neither of the girls had much experience baking, but Regina was determined to put her best foot forward. 

 

“Never knew the great Regina George would end up so soft,” Janis smirked and swiped a bit of dough from the bowl Regina had just finished mixing. She popped it into her mouth, humming in approval. “You’re as sweet as these cookies are gonna be.”

 

Her friend slapped her hand lightly. “Quit eating all the cookie dough, Sarkisian.”

 

Janis just laughed and turned around, checking on the batch already in the oven.

 

After an hours-long whirl of flour and mixing bowls, cracking eggs and singing along to trashy pop songs, finally, the last tray of cookies was set out to cool, and it was time for the part Janis was most excited for: decorating. 

 

Regina set her dining table with the sugar cookies they’d made and various tubs of colorful icing, the two of them each taking a seat across from the other. She grabbed her first cookie and got to work, humming along softly to the music in the background. 

 

The act of decorating proved to be rather relaxing. She zoned out, focused only on the repetitive motions of spreading the creamy frosting over the cookie’s surface. Working in silence, time seemed to fly, and Regina was surprised at how quickly the job had gone when she reached for her next cookie only to realize that none were left. 

 

On the other side of the table, Janis set down her knife with a clatter, placing her last cookie with the others. Regina looked up at the sound, smiling at the way the other girl yawned and stretched in her chair. She noticed something else too: a streak of red frosting painting Janis’s left cheek. Without a second thought Regina stood and walked over to her.

 

“What’s up?” Janis asked as her friend stooped in front of her. 

 

The blonde said nothing, merely raising her hand to brush a loose strand of hair behind Janis’s ear. She gazed unflinchingly into Janis’s questioning eyes. Carefully, she swept her thumb over the paste smeared onto the girl’s cheekbone, making sure to get as much of it as she could. 

 

Satisfied, Regina pulled back, rising to her full height. She brandished her stained thumb to a bewildered Janis. “Got it.”

 

Janis squinted. “Oh. Oh!” She realized what her friend had been doing. “Thanks.”

 

“Don’t mention it.” Regina smiled and went to wash her hands. 

 

The next day Regina rang the doorbell to Gretchen’s house, a stack of cookie tins precariously balanced in her left arm. She was enthusiastically welcomed in by the hostess herself, and ushered into the living room where she found the rest of the group hanging out. Karen was sat on the tile floor, chatting with Damien who was perched on a large armchair. Gretchen crossed the room and joined him, sitting on his lap while he absentmindedly played with her hair. On one end of Gretchen’s couch was Aaron Samuels, smiling and laughing with one arm around an equally spirited Cady, and on the other end sat Janis. She patted her hand on the open space to her side, raising an eyebrow at Regina. The blonde girl sat her cookies down on the coffee table, quickly taking the seat next to her friend. Originally, she sat with a bit of space between them, but Janis quickly pulled her towards her, nestling Regina into her side. Regina went without complaint, chest full with affection for the young artist next to her. 

 

On the tv, the classic stop-motion Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had just started playing, the bearded snowman singing the title character’s story in a snowy wonderland. Gretchen brought in mugs, whipped cream, candy canes, and several thermoses of hot chocolate, encouraging the rest of the gang to help themselves. And of course, in a room full of teenagers, Regina’s boxes of cookies were quickly opened as well.

 

“Wow,” Cady whistled. “Regina, these are amazing!”

 

Regina tossed her head. “It was nothing,” she said. “Though I can’t take all the credit.” She motioned at the girl on her left. 

 

“So that’s why some of these look so nice,” Damien muttered. “No offense Regina, but your art skills are miles away from what Janis can do.”

 

“None taken.”

 

The group spent the next couple of hours in animated chatter, the room boisterous and warm with cheer. Damien, Karen, and Cady especially filled the space with their vibrant ramblings, the rest more content to watch in bemusement. Regina felt Janis’s head tip and come to rest on her shoulder. Her heart swelled at the gesture, the sensation of the light weight propped up against her feeling incredibly natural. She allowed her own head to lean onto Janis’s, smiling in contentment. 

 

Soon after other people began to arrive. Janis and Regina separated from their perch on the couch, each heading off to talk with other people. Gretchen turned off the Christmas classics and switched on the music, bringing out a folding table with more snacks (and some alcohol), placing it out for the guests. 

 

Regina spent her time talking with a wide variety of her classmates. From a few cordial words exchanged with Shane Oman, to an enthusiastic talk with Kevin G, who had stepped up as DJ, she once again felt a rush of gratitude for Cady’s effect on the school’s social hierarchy, tearing down the old, imaginary barriers once in place. 

 

Regina obviously knew how to act at a party, floating around from conversation to conversation, having spent so much of her teenage life doing exactly that. But even before she’d been transformed post-bus, she’d always been exhausted by such long periods of social interaction. It was just that, to save face, she’d always pushed through the discomfort. Now, however, having left her concern for her reputation behind, as Regina found herself getting overwhelmed she slipped away from the raucous party, heading to an empty room at the back of the house. She took a seat next to a dark window, gazing into the quiet night outside. 

 

“Knock knock!”

 

Regina turned around to see Janis clutching the door frame, grinning widely at her friend. “Hey.”

 

Janis giggled uncharacteristically and tried to step forward, swaying dangerously on her feet. Regina stood and rushed forward to steady her, looping her arms loosely around the girl’s waist. 

 

“Christ, Janis,” she muttered, brow furrowing. “Go a little too hard on the eggnog?”

 

“M’not drunk” her friend slurred.

 

“Uh-huh. You’re sticking with me tonight, honey.”

 

Janis sighed and leaned forward, burying her face in Regina’s neck. “That’s okay,” she murmured, the blonde flushing at the feeling of the girl’s lips brushing her skin. “I like being with you.”

 

Regina let out a shaky laugh. “You’d better, if I’m the one getting your wasted ass home tonight.”

 

Janis gently disentangled herself from Regina’s hold, keeping one hand on the other’s arm to keep herself steady. Her unfocused eyes gazed at Regina’s face intently. She smiled softly at her friend. “Yeah, I really do.”

 

Regina held her friend’s stare, studying her wide brown eyes. She smiled back at the girl. “Glad to hear it.”

 

The two gazed at each other in silence. There was something sacred and safe in the quiet, something Regina was scared to interrupt.

 

Janis hummed and broke her gaze away, examining the room distractedly. Regina stepped back, turning to grab her phone where she’d left it by the windowsill in her haste to help support her friend. Janis stopped her with an arm tugging at her jacket sleeve. 

 

“What is it?” Regina raised an eyebrow. 

 

Wordlessly, Janis pointed up above their heads. There in the doorframe hung an ever-so-innocent clump of that mischievous plant, infamous holiday trickster. Secured with a red ribbon, the berries danced and giggled, swaying from side to side, watching their two latest victims. Mistletoe.

 

Knowing Gretchen, Regina wasn’t surprised the classic piece of decor had found its way into the home. She cursed herself for not having been more observant of her surroundings.

 

She looked back at Janis, who tightened her grip slightly on her arm.

 

“You know,” the girl whispered, eyes dark and playful. “Tradition’s tradition.”

 

Regina swallowed. She stood straight as a ruler as Janis moved forward, a dark lock of hair falling out of place, framing her face delicately. Trapped by that mesmerizing stare, Regina was unable to budge. Janis’s face inched closer and closer until Regina could see every fleck in her deep, glowing eyes. 

 

She felt a gentle breath fan over her face and her heart jack-rabbitted in her chest, her stomach having twisted itself into nervous knots. She recognized these sensations, long since buried and forgotten, and she felt an old, primal fear well up inside her. Shit.

 

A jolt of electricity shot up Regina’s spine, jumpstarting her back into action. Her arms shot out in front of her, pushing Janis away. 

 

The girl in question stumbled a bit, and Regina immediately grabbed her to keep her standing, realizing what she’d done. 

 

An awkward silence filled the room.

 

Regina let out a strained laugh, releasing Janis from her hold. “I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink tonight, Jan. I’m, uh… not feeling well. I really need to go. Can you get yourself another ride home?”

 

Janis had barely finished nodding her head yes when Regina practically sprinted out of the room, pushing past her and through the doorway. 

 

The two girls didn’t speak all week after that (though, to be fair, they were on winter break). Still, Regina popped popcorn and readied a selection of movies that Friday night. Without fail, Janis was at her door with a smile on her face and a tub of ice cream in hand. If she remembered anything from the party, she sure wasn’t letting it show.

 

But Regina remembered. And now, she couldn’t focus on anything but the spike in her pulse as Janis nuzzled into her side, the subtle hitch in her breath as they brushed hands reaching for the blanket, the warmth of her friend’s soft body against hers.

 

Regina knew this feeling. And she knew she was royally screwed.

 

That was why she texted Cady the next morning after Janis had left, shooting her a quick, ‘can i come over’. That was why she spent the afternoon in tears in her friend’s room, confessing every sick, twisted thought in her head.

 

“Regina,” Cady rubbed her shoulders soothingly. “Janis is a lesbian, and I’m bi. Do you think we’re disgusting?”

 

Regina fervently shook her head no.

 

“Then why isn’t it okay for you to like girls?”

 

“It’s not about liking girls,” she hiccuped. “It’s about liking her. She’s my f-friend and I shouldn’t think of her like this.”

 

Cady smiled sadly and ran a hand through Regina’s hair. “Honey, we don’t choose who we fall in love with. And I promise, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the way you feel.”

 

Love. Regina knew it seemed sudden to call it that, having just figured out what she was feeling, but she thought it an accurate descriptor. Janis was mean, she was stubborn, and she was reckless. But she was also brave, creative, and fiercely loyal. Regina had seen her angry, scared, and uncertain, and through all of that they’d come through the other side, closer than ever. Regina couldn’t think of anyone who she would rather entrust her heart to.

 

Cady told her it was okay to love Janis, and after their conversation, for the first time since she had ever felt this way, Regina began to believe it too. 

 

So she kept driving Janis to school, kept grabbing ice cream from where she worked, and kept cuddling Janis every Friday night. She kept on being the friend she knew Janis wanted her to be. 

 

And sometimes, she thought back to the fateful Christmas party, wondering if Janis would have acted the way she had if she had been sober. Wondered if maybe, just maybe, Janis wanted her to be more than a friend too. 

 

It was this hope that inspired her, a month and half after the realization, to use the upcoming Valentine’s day as an opportunity to confess her feelings. 

 

The only question: how to go about telling Janis?

 

Regina racked her brain all weekend for ideas. She didn’t think Janis would like a public declaration, and decided to opt for something more private. She knew Janis thought of Valentine’s day as a corporate shill, but was still a romantic at heart, which was why Regina had decided to use the holiday to begin with. So traditional gifts like chocolates, flowers, and those stupid plush bears you’d see in CVS were off limits. 

 

Well, let it never be said that Regina George would back down from a challenge. 

 

The privacy issue was easy. Valentine’s day that year happened to fall on a Friday, so Janis would already be coming over to watch trashy rom-coms and throw popcorn at the screen. And as for a gift, although Janis wouldn’t like a bouquet of flowers, perhaps she’d like a bouquet of something else. Regina settled on a bunch of paintbrushes tied together with a red ribbon, colored paper frills taped around their necks to imitate petals, and sat in a clear mason jar as a vase. For good measure, with her mediocre craft skills she created a homemade card that read “You must be an artist, because I find myself drawn to you.” If nothing else, she hoped Janis would appreciate the humor. 

 

Regina waltzed into school Friday morning walking on air. Sure, she was nervous, but also giddy with excitement. She was bursting at the seams with the love she’d been carrying for months, and she’d had the time to think through every contingency. 

 

Every contingency, it would seem, except for what she saw next. 

 

Regina rounded the corner to the hallway that Janis’s locker was in, ready to greet her with a smile and a “Morning!” only to see that the girl was currently in the middle of talking with someone else.

 

And, of course, that wasn’t all.

 

This “someone else” was a girl Regina recognized as being from the grade below them. In one hand, she held a heart-shaped box of chocolates, and in the other she held a half-deflated pink balloon. She was smiling nervously at Janis, whose face Regina couldn’t see. 

 

Regina froze and ducked to the side, taking cover behind a rowdy group of sophomore boys. It was clear what was happening here. She carefully studied the girl’s expression, looking for any hint as to how Janis was responding. 

 

When the girl walked off, head held high and grinning like she’d just won the lottery, Regina knew what the answer had been. 

No, no, no!

 

Pit sinking deep in her stomach, for the first time in months Regina plastered on that fake, perfectly crafted smile that had once served her so well. She stepped out of hiding and started towards Janis, now talking with the newly-arrived Cady, who had also witnessed the display. 

 

“So who was that?” Regina teasingly lilted as she leaned against the row of lockers, raising an eyebrow. “Could it be the immovable Janis Sarkisian has finally been wooed?”

 

Janis rolled her eyes fondly. “Hah-hah. That’s Vivian. We share art class together.”

 

“And?” 

 

“And she just asked me out.” 

 

“Aaaand?”

 

Janis bit her lip. “I said yes.”

 

Even though Regina already knew what Janis was going to say, it still felt like a punch in the gut to hear the words spoken aloud. 

 

Outwardly, she smirked. “Oho? Well then, when is our Miss Sarkisian getting swept off of her feet?”

 

“Well, we’re gonna go catch a drive-in movie type thing near her place tonight.”

 

Regina’s mask faltered momentarily, nearly shattering completely.  _ Tonight _ ?

 

She could feel the weight of Cady’s sympathetic gaze out of the corner of her eye. 

 

Summoning every ounce of strength she had left in her body, Regina shot Janis a grin and gave her a light punch on the arm. “Go get ‘er, tiger.”

 

Right on cue, the bell rang, and she quickly excused herself to get to class, leaving Janis and Cady in the dust. 

 

(When she showed up to first period twenty minutes late, with hastily reapplied makeup and tired red eyes, not even the teacher said anything about it.)

 

She avoided Janis all day and then drove straight home after school, trudging her way to her room. There on her bed sat the brushes and the card, right where she’d been admiring them proudly in the morning. She clenched a fist. She wanted to rip that card clean in half, then into fourths, the eights, and so on. She wanted to throw the glass jar at the wall, hear it shatter into a million tiny shards.

 

Instead, she picked the gifts up gently, cradling them to her chest. She walked them into her walk-in closet, found a cardboard box, and tenderly laid them inside. She flipped the lid shut and, finding a roll of packaging tape, proceeded to seal the gifts away, hiding the box somewhere beneath a pile of old toys and decorations stored in there.

 

That night, Regina curled up the couch with a mug of hot chocolate and a bowl of popcorn. She turned on La La Land and stretched, reclining with her full height. By all accounts, it should have been the most relaxing, comfortable part of her week.

 

But Regina was anything but comfortable. 

 

She tossed and turned on the couch, trying to find just the right spot. She was cold, too, freezing cold. And yet, her favorite blanket felt too big and loose on her now, an irritating weight. 

 

As Regina shifted and flopped around, huffing discontentedly, her head perked up at the sound of her phone buzzing on the coffee table in front of her. She reached for it lazily. 

 

It was Janis. The new message read ‘hey. is is too late to come over for movie night?’

 

Regina swallowed. She was tempted to ignore the text and not reply, but instead she shot off a quick, ‘sure’, rolling off the couch to make another mug of hot chocolate. 

 

Thirty minutes later, Janis was on her doorstep. She was uncharacteristically dressed up, wearing a deep red lipstick that matched her scarlet button down. Rather than her usual ripped pants, she was wearing a sharp pair of black jeans, hair cascading in loose dark waves on her shoulders. Regina silently opened the door to let her in. 

 

“Hey,” Janis smiled casually, raising her arms to display the two fast food cups she held, one in each hand. “I brought milkshakes.”

 

Regina took the frozen offering and walked over to her dining room table, setting it down without a word. Janis sucked on her own straw, strolling over to the couch and flopping down. “So, what are we watching?”

 

“Whatever you want.”

 

Janis hummed and picked up the remote, going to browse Netflix. Regina brought over the extra hot chocolate she’d made, setting it in front of her friend.

 

“So, date fall through? She have to cancel?” Regina tried to ask the question as nonchalantly as possible, although it spilled from her mouth almost involuntarily as she burned with curiosity. 

 

Janis shrugged and kept looking at the screen. “I don’t know. We went to the movie but… She was kind of boring, we didn’t really click. I didn’t want to lead her on, you know? So I figured I might as well come hang with you instead.”

 

Regina cast her gaze at the floor, studying the chipped and scratched tile. She bit her lip harshly to tether herself to the moment. She was just Janis’s back up plan, better than nothing. But she wasn’t her choice. And that stung more than anything she’d felt in a long time.

 

Janis had made her decision, and the beginning of the movie  _ Heathers _ played on the tv. The girl was curled up on one end of the couch, cocooned in the warmth of Regina’s favorite blanket. The unspoken invitation hung in the air, the invitation that hadn’t been refused by either of them since the first night Regina offered to share. 

 

Regina ducked out of the room, heading to root around in her bedroom for a couple of minutes. She returned with a different blanket under her arm. Avoiding meeting Janis’s gaze, she deliberately sat down at the opposite end of the couch, draping the unfamiliar, itchy fabric over herself. She kept her eyes resolutely glued to the screen for the duration of the movie, not casting so much as a glance in Janis’s direction. When the credits rolled, Janis stood, stretching for an unnaturally long amount of time. 

 

“I think I’m gonna head home,” she muttered, studying Regina’s face. That was another violation of their typical routine: Janis always spent the night. 

 

Regina nodded and grunted noncommittally. She rose to show her friend out. 

 

“Goodnight,” Janis called over her shoulder as she walked towards her car.

 

Regina shut the door behind her. 

 

Regina didn’t give Janis a single ride to school during the ensuing week. She actively arrived as close to the school’s starting time as she could without risking being late, to minimize the risk of seeing the girl in the halls during the morning. At lunch, Regina became an avid peruser of the library shelves, rather than eating at their shared table. Damien shot her meaningful looks in the hallways. ‘I told you so,’ they seemed to read.

 

Friday night came and went without a text to Regina’s phone or a single knock at her door. 

 

Saturday morning, Cady came over to find a remarkably unkempt Regina. In nearly a year and a half of  being friends, she’d never seen the blonde so visibly distraught- her hair was frizzy and tangled from a night of tossing and turning on her bed; bags dark enough to be bruises hung under her eyes; and her cheeks glistened with dried and fresh tears alike.

 

Without a word, Cady pulled her friend into a tight embrace. They spent the next half hour together on Regina’s bed as the girl cried all over again, breath coming in great, heaving gasps. Cady rubbed her back comfortingly throughout, waiting patiently for her sobs to die down before attempting conversation.

 

Cady was blissfully already aware of most of the story’s details, so Regina didn’t have to spend long summarizing events. Instead, Regina took the time to vent, airing her feelings of stupidity and betrayal, sorrow and rage. Cady, as always, proved a sympathetic ear, eyes wide and genuine, mouth turned down in a pained frown.

 

Towards the end of their conversation, as Regina exhausted her fury and became quiet, Cady offered her some advice.

 

“Listen, Regina,” she began, covering the blonde girl’s hand with her own. “I talk to Janis too. And I don’t want to say too much and violate her privacy, but…” she trailed off, expressioned pained. “She’s hurting too. She doesn’t understand why you’re angry with her, and I understand that to you that’s half the insult: that she doesn’t think she did anything wrong. But if you would sit down and talk to her, explain why you’re angry, I think it would save you both a lot of sadness.”

 

Regina looked away. On one hand, she felt a familiar pang of guilt to have hurt her best friend. On the other, a prideful beast inside her still raged and snarled, unwilling to lower herself and make amends. If Janis felt so bad it was because she was guilty and she deserved it. 

 

Cady, as if sensing her internal struggle, merely clasped her hand. “Just think about it, okay?”

 

Come Monday, Regina no longer hid herself away in the library all of lunch, and instead rejoined  her table of friends. But instead taking her customary seat next to Janis, Regina sandwiched herself between Karen and Aaron, and despite the girl’s repeated attempts to engage Regina in conversation, the blonde brushed them off dismissively, until eventually, Janis gave up on trying. 

 

The next two months passed in similar fashion. Two months of no texting. Two months of as little speaking as possible. Two months without movie night. 

 

Eventually, Regina grew to agree with Cady- talking with Janis had really been the best option. The beast in her chest calmed, her longing for her best friend grew, and now there was nothing she regretted more than not taking her friend’s advice. Instead, she’d been too blinded by her possessive, primal jealousy to do right by Janis.

 

But it was too late anyways. Janis had moved on, and there was no way she’d ever want Regina to try and apologize for cutting her out of her life for a second time. And that was completely justified. Regina did not deserve forgiveness. 

 

Janis walked down the middle of the halls, chatting with friends, smile wide on her face. Janis stopped shooting Regina furtive glances when she thought the other wasn’t watching. Janis ignored Regina at lunch as much as the other girl had her. 

 

Regina had torn a wide rift between them, and now, she didn’t know how to cross it. 

 

Due to all this, Regina was well on her way to spending the entire rest of her final year at North Shore in an unfocused rage, barely able to see past the haze of her emotional turmoil. Her grades slipped, her despondence intensified with every passing day, and every time she saw Janis it was as if a rusty nail was being hammered into heart. 

 

There was only one event that Regina was looking forward to: that year’s Spring Fling.

 

Pre-bus Regina would have been excited for the dance so she could proudly accept that plastic, sparkly crown. Post-bus Regina was excited to spend the night with friends, real friends, for the first time (and of course, not being in a spinal halo was a bonus too). So in the weeks leading up to the event, she, Gretchen, and Karen prepared together as they had throughout all of high school. And when the night of the dance finally arrived, Regina had almost been able to put Janis out of her mind, instead focusing on her beautiful, elegant blue dress and the amazing job her two friends had done helping her with her makeup. Ready to go, the three posed for a picture taken by Mrs. George, arms linked tightly together.

 

“Let’s go ladies.” Regina smiled. “Let’s enjoy our last Spring Fling.”

 

Per tradition, the group arrived “fashionably late”, every head in the crowded, sweaty gymnasium swerving towards them as they strode in. Despite having mostly ditched her old, bitchy ways, Regina still relished the feeling of power she could wield over others, intoxicated by their attention. She stalked forward gracefully, surveying the mass of students-

 

-And very nearly tripped on her face. Up ahead, Regina picked out one face in particular watching her make her entrance: Janis Sarkisian herself, a vision in a fitted red suit, had locked her dark eyes onto Regina, intensely observing her. Regina choked on her own spit and stumbled in her heels; she certainly would have fallen if not for Gretchen reaching out and catching her at the last second. 

 

When she looked back up moments later, Janis had vanished into the crowd. Regina craned her neck, looking for a glimpse of scarlet in the sea of moving bodies, but, seeing nothing, allowed Gretchen to pull her onto the floor.

 

From there on out the night passed in a total blur of familiar songs and familiar faces. Regina danced her feet off with Gretchen and Karen, singing along to the words she knew, and even the words she didn’t. Kevin G. was the DJ, his mathlete buddies dancing nearby. Regina saw Cady and Aaron dorkily jumping around, smiling widely at each other. Damien wasn’t far behind, attempting to shmooze some handsome guy Regina didn’t know. Still, no matter where she looked, despite having found all her other friends, Regina was unable to locate Janis. The only thing keeping her sane, restraining her from going off searching for the girl, was the way her two friends kept her distracted and on her feet. However, eventually, Regina tired of her constant jostling by energetic teens around her, of the sound of the pounding bass in her ears, and of the hot, stifling air surrounding her.

 

“I’m going to go get something to drink!” she shouted at Gretchen before slipping away in the crowd, heading for the refreshments. Grabbing a lukewarm bottle of water, she strolled out of the sweltering gymnasium, into the refreshing night air. She drained the bottle in a few large gulps, rossing it into a recycling bin. Sighing deeply, Regina leaned against the rough brick wall of the school, closing her eyes. The slight chill kept her alert and aware of every sound of the quiet night. Cars zoomed by on distant roads. A cricket chirped somewhere to Regina’s right. And on her left, a quiet set of footsteps made their way towards her, crunching gravel underfoot. They stopped just short of walking past her. Regina opened her eyes and, as she expected, it was Janis.

 

The two girls studied each other in silence. Regina, more than anything, was overwhelmed with the longing she’d been suffering for two months; she wanted to say something, to try to explain herself, even if nothing could ever make up for her cold actions. The words were stuck in her throat, and her mind screamed at her to speak, speak!

 

Just as she felt that the building pressure would burst and her apologies would come flooding out, Janis broke the silence first.

 

“I’ve figured it out, y’know,” she said, watching her friend carefully. “Why you’ve been so pissed with me.”

 

‘I’m not anymore,’ she wanted to scream. ‘I just want to go back to how things were!’ But still, she could not force herself to form the words, merely looking back at the girl silently.

 

Unfazed, Janis pressed on. “When I agreed to go out with Vivian that night, I placed some girl I didn’t really know above our friendship. I didn’t even stop to ask you if you minded if I cancelled, didn’t stop to think at all about how you felt. And then I waltzed in that night like you have no life outside of me.” She took a deep breath. “It was selfish and wrong of me. And I kinda deserved how you’ve been treating me. But please, I just want my friend back.” Her voice wavered slightly. 

 

Regina dug her nails into her palms so hard she thought she might draw blood. Finally, she found her voice. “When you say it like that, you make me sound so noble,” she joked without humor, “But you don’t understand the half of why I’ve been so horrible to you. You didn’t deserve any of it, Janis, I’m the one-” her voice broke. “I’m the one who should be punished.”

 

“Then tell me why,” Janis pleaded. “Help me understand-”

 

“-I’m so fucking selfish Jan. I cut you out because I’m a horrible person, not because you did anything wrong. And you should just leave me here right now, because you’re better off without me.”

 

“For fuck’s sake, Regina!” Janis snapped. “I think I’ll be the judge of that! I don’t need you trying to fucking protect me from yourself, just come out and tell me why we aren’t friends anymore!”

 

Regina hesitantly met Janis’s gaze. “You’ll hate me,” she whispered, wringing her hands together. “It’s not something you want to hear.”

 

The other girl cocked her head. “Isn’t that a risk worth taking to end this?”

 

Regina considered that question carefully, gazing into Janis’s deep, vulnerable eyes. She opened her mouth slightly to try to confess, to try to come out with it, but choked on her words, unable to drag them from her throat. Janis waited patiently in front her, eyebrows knitted together in concern.

 

Fuck it. 

 

With shaking hands, Regina reached out and lightly gripped Janis’s lapels. Without giving herself time to think her way out of her decision, she leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to Janis’s soft lips, barely applying a whisper of pressure before leaning back. She quickly stepped away, trembling all over.

 

Janis raised a hand to her lips, stunned. Regina screwed her eyes shut, ready for the girl to tear into her, disgusted, but instead, one of the girl’s warm hands found their way under Regina’s smooth jaw, coaxing her chin up to look Janis in the eye. Regina’s heart thudded painfully in her chest, cheeks alight with an all-consuming fire. After a moment of silently searching the blonde’s gaze, Janis stepped forward and hungrily reclaimed her lips, her other arm going around Regina’s waist. 

 

Regina’s eyes widened in shock, then slipped shut. Her hands came up and once again grasped at Janis’s front, pulling the other girl even closer. Janis hummed in approval, moving her hand from Regina’s jaw to thread it through her platinum waves, deepening the kiss. An involuntary squeak slipped from Regina’s mouth as those deft fingers pulled and tugged gently on her strands, twisting and curling them delicately. They kissed languidly, without pause, and Regina was on cloud nine. Her knees practically buckled under her when Janis opened her mouth slightly to nip and pull at Regina’s bottom lip enticingly. She didn’t even realize until her back hit the brick wall that Janis had been blindly backing them up towards the nearest solid surface. She broke the kiss with a gasp at the impact, and was immediately distracted by Janis’s lips moving to her jaw, gently kissing and biting at the silky skin, tracing a downwards path to her neck. Those lips brushed delicately over her pulse point before latching on with a positively sinful suck. Regina threw her head back, a filthy moan torn from her throat at the sensation.

 

It was then when the two jumped apart, both panting and flushed a matching crimson. Regina ran a hand through her mussed hair, unable to tear eyes away from Janis’s swollen lips. “Wow,” was all she could say.

 

“Wow indeed.” 

 

The girls took a few moments of quiet to process it all, both looking off blankly into space.

 

“I never thought you’d want me like that,” Janis confessed. “You know, after Christmas. I thought friendship was the most I could ever hope for with you.”

 

Regina stared at the pavement. “I was scared. I thought I was a freak for thinking about you that way, and well,” she motioned a little with her hands. “You were pretty drunk that night.”

 

“God, aren’t we a couple of idiots,” Janis smiled wryly. She pulled Regina into a tight, warm embrace. Regina realized that it had been so long since Janis had last held her like this that she’d forgotten the feeling- the feeling that she was home. She pulled away sniffling, whereupon Janis brushed away her tears. 

 

“Do you want to blow this place?” she whispered conspiratorially “You know, make up for lost time and all that jazz?

 

Regina laughed wetly and nodded, letting Janis lead the way to her car. “I think we have a lot of movies we need to catch up on anyways.”

 

They didn’t end up really paying much attention to what was playing on the tv, but it was the thought that counted. 

 

A couple of months later, Janis and Regina stood hand-in-hand at their graduation, the world waiting for them. Janis was off to NYU, and Regina was following her, because there was one thing that senior year had without a doubt taught her: even if she wasn’t sure about the rest, Janis Sarkisian was the only thing Regina George needed to face tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Phew! That was quite the ride- I only meant to write a short piece to distract myself from my rejanis Beauty and Beast au, and it turned into this. Hope you enjoyed reading, and if you did, consider supporting your local fic writer with a wee little comment. Later!


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